My primary responsibilities were to lead working sessions with product stakeholders (developers, editorial staff, and product owners), define requirements, and create user flows, wireframes and functional specifications that described our vision.

The project began in May 2012 and is ongoing. DJ X is live in a limited beta. A static screenshot and a video screencast of the product are below; a live demo or additional work samples are available on request.

The University of North Carolina Kenan-Flagler Business School

In 2012, the Kenan-Flagler Business School approached Blenderbox with a mobile strategy project. The School sought to better understand its audiences, appraise the mobile landscape, and identify opportunities to establish a useful mobile presence.

Within a fixed budget, I designed a research plan that consisted of a number of activities with stakeholders and end users:

Analytics Review

Stakeholder Working Sessions

Surveys

User Interviews

I carried out this research plan with a small team consisting of a project manager and another user experience designer. We involved the client closely in our process to ensure there were no surprises along the way; the project culminated in a strategic recommendation to Kenan-Flagler stakeholders to develop a responsive website.

Science NetLinks

At Blenderbox in 2011, I led the research, content strategy, and information architecture activities in support of a complete redesign of Science NetLinks, one of the web's oldest and most trusted repositories of science materials for K-12 educators.

Problem

Activities

I devised and executed a research plan that gave stakeholders a clearer understanding of their audience profiles, defined functional requirements, cataloged Science NetLinks's existing content, and planned new content creation workflow, roles, and responsibilities.

As the project moved from research toward design, my responsibility was to conceive of a sitemap and wireframes that helped users navigate the new site. My final deliverable was a complete set of wireframes and interaction-level specifications.

Deliverables

User Survey

Analytics Review

Content Audit

Content Model

Content Management System Recommendation

Wireframes

Interaction Specifications

Pushkart

Wireframes for Back-End Administrative System

At Blenderbox in 2010, I worked with a startup whose product was a loyalty program that allowed local businesses to reward customers who tweeted about the business. I designed the back-end administrative and reporting system that businesses used to run these loyalty campaigns.

Problem

Pushkart's customers were businesses with franchises who needed a powerful system to manage their franchisees and their Pushkart campaigns. An intuitive system needed to be created quickly from scratch.

Activities

With the founders, I designed an Adwords-like administrative interface that allowed businesses to create social media campaigns. We devised a series of defaults, settings, and permissions to govern when franchises could conduct their own Pushkart campaigns and when they had to inherit the campaigns from corporate headquarters. This system provided a customer-friendly platform on which Pushkart could grow their business.

Deliverables

Process Flows

Wireframes

The William & Flora Hewlett Foundation

Usability Testing

In 2009, with Blenderbox, I worked with the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation on a redesign of their public website. We launched a beta version of the site and then conducted usability tests to evaluate our redesign.

Problem

Our goal was to understand how one key audience (grantseekers) interacted with one important but burdensome business process (applying for funding). The new design needed to screen unqualified grantseekers better than the old one had.

Activities

I designed and facilitated the usability study, working with the client to first define goals and formulate the tasks. Then, I recruited participants, conducted the tests, and analyzed the results. The culmination of the project was a presentation of findings to the Foundation with specific, actionable design changes designed to improve the quality of the grantseekers' inquiries.

Deliverables

Usability Test Plan

Usability Test Findings

Campbell Raw Press

My wife and I run a letterpress printing and bookbinding business from our (tiny) apartment. In 2008, I designed and built a website using hand-written HTML, with customized Wordpress and Shopify templates.

Since the site launched, we've processed hundreds of transactions and moved our products into many fine paper stores across the United States.

Clients

I've worked extensively with some truly great companies, startups, and non-profits. Among them: